Two Halves of One Whole
by HappyCookiie
Summary: Aloof Taiyoukai, Sesshomaru had never believed in worthless things like emotions, nor had he listened to his late father's mad babbling. But when he lays eyes on a certain cocoa eyed Miko, he begins to doubt about his original speculations. And after a few encounters too many, he begins to realize that perhaps humans aren't quite the vermin he first thought them to be. One-shot S/K


**Author's Corner**

This pairing doesn't get enough love! Please enjoy this one shot about them that I just randomly thought of whilst writing my other fic Beyond Tomorrow and is kind of inspired by some of Cati-Art's DeviantART works. Leave a review if you enjoy it!

* * *

><p><strong>- TWO HALVES OF ONE WHOLE -<strong>

A Sesshomaru and Kikyo one-shot

(\-\-/-/)

(\-/)

(\-\-/-/)

A regally dressed InuTaiyoukai walked through the Western Lands, his long snowy white hair blowing behind him in the gentle autumn breeze, tinted a warm gold by the orange glow of the trees on either side of him. He wore a large fur pelt over his right shoulder, that flowed down his side and trailed along the forest floor like a tail, it too tinted a soft orange like his hair. His hard golden eyes shifted so that they were looking up at the red sky above, watching the sun's slow descent behind the mountains. He stood motionless for a while, content with the nature around him, before continuing on his way.

His name, was Sesshomaru, Prince of the Western domain and eldest son of the great and powerful Inu no Taishou. But the ultimate ruler of all Inu that had surcome to foolish emotions, and fallen victim to fate. His death had been in vain, Sesshomaru thought, all for the protection of one human princess and a bastard half breed son. Pathetic.

Emotion was weakness, a weakness that Sesshomaru would not fall victim to. And love was just another meaning for doom. His father had once spoken to him about one particular emotion when they were discussing the topic of mating... _Love_. Such a stupid emotion with no purpose or benefits to come from feeling it. The Inu no Taishou had sighed at his son's ignorance and cold attitude towards the subject, and merely uttered one statement...

_"Be they Youkai or Human, each of us were created as one half of a whole, destined to find the other half to compete us. The light to our darkness, the happiness to our despair. Fein as much ignorance as you want Sesshomaru, but one day.. you will find the other half of you."_

Sesshomaru had shrugged it off as another one of his father's mad babblings, but as of late, he was beginning to reconsider those words... Begin to consider the possibility of a sliver of truth being hidden beneath those poetic drabbles.

It had all started a few months ago, this mental questioning going on inside Sesshomaru's head, around the time that the 'Band of Seven' had been resurrected by the foul half breed Naraku, and terrorized the Lands. Naturally, Sesshomaru had decided to intervene in order to sort out the problem and rid his lands of the filthy vermin.. when something had happened.

He had come across _her._

That human priestess of his brother's who smelled of clay and soil, had come to Rin's rescue and put an end to one of the band member's lives, also taking a single shard of the Shikon with her. _Kikyo_, he seemed to recall her name being, having heard it from Inuyasha and his little group of misfits. The original protector of the Shikon no Tama, died fifty years prior to these events only to have been resurrected by an ogress that went by the name Urasue. Making her the same as those walking dead human bandits.

Upon first laying eyes on her, his aura had done an odd sort of flip and expanded drastically, luckily without any other powerful demons around to notice the change. His Youkai had let off a low growl and the colour of his vision had intensified briefly, turning the shades of objects and scenery all around him to much more vibrant colours. She had left as quickly as she came, and his colour-enhanced vision had followed with her, leaving him to his confusion and intrigue. He had not come across her since, but he found his mind unconsciously drifting back to that day, and reminiscing in the queer feeling she left behind in him in her wake.

And it just so happened that as he was taking a stroll in the woods near the Western coast, bathed in the scarlet light if the dying day, that he happened upon her scent once again. The familiar musty soil and clay, as well as the tiny tinge of rose, that he had failed to notice before. So he had left Rin and Jaken with Ah-Un at the edge of the woods, playing in the piles of orange and red fallen leaves, as he ventured in to find out why his vision had been enhanced once again.

He walked over the soft damp leaves, his boots glistening with the tiny specks of water that gathered on the black leather, and his eyes blazed a fine gold that rivalled the sun. And then... his blazing eyes met a familiar sight.

Bathed in the amber glow of the sunset she stood with her back to him, her thick raven hair loose and having spilled down her back like a curtain of silk. Her sandals lay abandoned on the forest floor beside the shallow stream she had waded into, the cool water lapping at her knees as she stared up at the sky, apparently oblivious to his presence.

He breathed in slowly at how his Youkai once again hummed in contentment and the colours around him intensified. He watched her for a moment longer before releasing his aura in order for her to sense him.

The reaction was immediate as her head spun around to look over her shoulder, her long ebony hair flipping to the side as she stared at him intensely. Brown met gold in a fierce battle of stares, as Sesshomaru stood his ground a few feet away from her. No words were exchanged, just silence and a distant hooting of an owl. Her locks shone with a fine red tint as the light shone down upon her, basking her in its imperial quality. Sesshomaru breathed in the essence of rose that was mixed in with the smell of soil, and tried to resist the low growl his Youkai was threatening to release.

Finally breaking the silence, she tilted her head to the side and turned around fully. "..You are Inuyasha's elder brother," she stated rather than asked, "Sesshomaru.. am I correct?"

His eyes flickered with flames as he gazed at her, the vibrant bronze of her eyes almost blinding him. He found his aura singing at the sound of her voice for some reason, and he had to suppress another low growl. "...Indeed." was all he said quietly, his voice lined with an odd attribute.

The silence returned and Sesshomaru just continued to stare at her, watching as her eyelids slid down when she blinked only to re-open and reveal the warm cocoa colouring beneath. She tilted her head again and Sesshomaru copied the action, his eyes never leaving hers as he fought with himself for a logical explanation for what was happening to him.

Kikyo returned the intensity of his stare and just wondered to herself, what was he doing? What could he possibly hope to gain or accomplish by just standing there staring at her? She could not make any kind of assumptions to explain his motives, for he had not done anything to hint at such things. What on earth could he be thinking? Whatever it was, she just hoped that he wasn't going to try to kill her, for if he did anything of the sort.. she would have no choice but to return the favour. But little did Kikyo know, and not even Sesshomaru himself at this moment in time, was that was quite the opposite of his intentions.

Just when Kikyo thought that he was about to say something, he straightened his regal form.. and began walking towards her slowly. She stiffened at this and balled her fists at her sides, reigning her spiritual energy in and preparing to attack if he did. He stepped into the shallow water, uncaring of getting his boots wet, and made his way closer to where she stood. When he arrived at less than a metre away from her, he stopped and stared down at her, the intense gold in his eyes licking at her skin like flames. He still did not speak, only continued to stare at her with that strange look of his. Before she could ask him what he wanted, he lowered his head ever so slightly, and sniffed, taking in her unique scent. The more of her scent he took in, the clearer the soft trace of roses became, steadily replacing the harsh scent of clay and soil.

She watched him sniff her repeatedly, the fire in his eyes never faltering as he slowly began to circle her, the water beneath making small splashes as he moved. She stood still, keeping her aura at bay just in case he lashed out unexpectedly. But the only unexpected thing he did, was continue to sniff her, and slowly reach out to catch a few long strands of black hair with his fingers. Her gaze glided down to the strands of hair that had been captured by his deadly claws, and watched as he brought it up to his face to sniff more closely.

When he was at her front once again, he caught more midnight coloured locks and moved his hand to the back of her neck, stroking with his thumb lightly and sending shivers through her skin, but they weren't shivers of terror or disgust. Something that looked like confusion rose in his eyes briefly, only to be replaced by a strange look of determination. His thumb continued to stroke the back of her neck and she just stared up at him with ever so slightly widened brown eyes.

"...How very.. peculiar." he spoke quietly, his eyes glinting in the scarlet light.

"What is peculiar?" she questioned, still trying to figure out why she wasn't frying his hand off for touching her.

Something sparked in his eyes at her question and he smirked ever so slightly, lowering his head further. "You," was his one word reply, his breath hot against her face."

Kikyo felt a warm pooling sensation at the pit of her stomach as her heart begun to thud loudly. Her Miko powers flared considerably at the close proximity of their faces, but it did not flare in a menacing threatened way... In fact it almost seemed as if it was a _pleased _reaction. She blinked and glanced at the visible magenta stripes that decorated his wrist, the markings of a high level Youkai. Her gaze then shifted to the markings on each cheek, and the distinct royal crescent moon he harboured at the centre of his forehead, a fine imperial blue. She found herself so entranced by the marks, that her hands came up on their own and lightly touched the inscriptions, her fingers lining them softly.

Sesshomaru allowed his eyes to slide closed as he relished in her touch, something that surprised him with her being nothing more than a mere human, and a Miko as well. But he found her touch to be oddly relaxing as she caressed his cheeks carefully, and his Youkai practically hummed in contentment. A single maroon stained leaf in the shape of a star fell from the tree above and landed gracefully in Sesshomaru's cream coloured pelt. Kikyo removed one hand from stroking his stripes and plucked it out of his fur, Sesshomaru's eyes gliding open to see what had stopped her action.

His molten gaze met with hers again, and he pushed his aura out a good few metres, enveloping Kikyo in its warmth. She gasped quietly at the shift in demonic energy, and unconsciously drew out her spiritual energy, the two auras fizzing as they collided. And then, without reason or understanding, Kikyo leaned up closer to those burning orbs of his and pressed her lips to his.

Surprised at first, though disgusted at a lowly human's behaviour he was not, he closed his eyes once again and returned her kiss. He was not sure why she had done such a thing, nor was he sure why he was giving her a reaction, but he did know that his Youkai was literally purring at what was taking place. It demanded dominance, total submission. It wanted to take this human priestess and make her it's own by any means necessary...

Sesshomaru pulled away from her instantly, unaware that his hands had somehow managed to tangle themselves into her hair and hold her by the back of her head. He had also failed to notice her left hand that had snaked into the fold of his white red flower-patterned haori and sat resting in between that and his inner lilac shirt. She breathed short laboured breaths and her face was a little flushed. Again, he was confused as to why he had indulged himself with a human female, and why she was still alive after having the audacity to invade his personal space as she had. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment longer, before Sesshomaru removed his hands from tangled within her raven web of hair and took a step back in the water, forcing her to remove her hand that was tucked inside his haori.

Before he or she could do something equally insane, Sesshomaru turned from her and walked off in the direction he came, his orange-tinted hair and pelt blowing behind him in the autumn breeze.

Kikyo watched his retreating form until he vanished from sight, and she was left alone in the sunset basked forest. After a moment of standing and staring, unbelieving of what had just happened, the Shindamachuu sailed through the air and deposited more souls to her figure below. The long white eels swum through the air and circled her form, ghosting her with their elegant auras. Her fingers came up and traced her lips, her lips that had once been connected to Inuyasha's pure-blooded Youkai brother. Something had happened to her in that instant.. something had stirred within to make her behave so rashly. Something in her aura had shifted... all because of a Taiyoukai's blazing gaze.

(\-\-/-/)

(\-/)

(\-\-/-/)

Sesshomaru, powerful InuYoukai and Lord of the West, wandered through his territory, his expression set on the path ahead but his mind on another matter entirely. A certain chestnut eyed Miko plagued his thoughts now and pushed many other things out, so much to the point that Sesshomaru found himself thinking of her a little too regularly for his liking. His Youkai had been silent for the past couple of days, ever since he had parted ways with _her _on that fated evening in the forest by the Western coast. It was getting to the point where he would have to resort to going out to look for her just to satisfy his Youkai and damned curiosity. How he hated that curious streak of his so, just which irritant parent had he inherited it from?

He stopped in his tracks rather suddenly, a familiar scent carrying on the air into his nostrils. His eyes filled with the same fire as before, and he took flight, his pelt flowing behind him freely like a wing as he soared over the forest. He flew down when the scent of roses was at its highest, and pushed his aura outwards, his fur and hair settling as the autumn breeze came to a slow halt.

And there she was, walking alongside her soul collectors, coming to a halt several feet from where he stood and staring into his blazing eyes. Her heart thumped again and her spiritual energy flared in response to his raised demonic aura. The Shindamachuu took flight and soared skyward until they were out of view, leaving tiny trails of light behind them that settled around Kikyo's figure like a mist. She sucked in a deep pocket of air as he strolled towards her casually like before, again stopping just before her so that he looked down at her features.

"..Sesshomaru," she whispered in greeting. "It is you again."

"...Indeed."

The colour of his vision strengthened again like it had done the past two times he had seen her, and his Youkai came alive after being dormant for several days. He lifted his arm and caught her chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up so that their eyes met in a fierce ignition of flames, and he lowered his face down and kissed her softly. Unsure again as to why she wasn't purifying him, she closed her eyes and melted into his lips, her hand once again crawling into the folds of his silk haori and clutching the warm inner material, resting just above his heart.

He broke away from her lips and began trailing wet kisses down the side of her neck, giving it occasional nips that made her shudder with pleasure. His hands snaked down her waist and gripped her hips, pulling her body closer to him as he sucked at her pulse point. Why he was doing such a thing was beyond his understanding, but it was what his Youkai cried for.. demanded.. yearned.

A small gasp escaped her lips and she buried her nose in the soft fur at his shoulder, inhaling his strong musky scent that screamed power. His hands moved up her back at that sound and he dug his claws into the cotton haori, sending shivers of pleasure up her back at the feel of it. Just as he made his way up to her jaw line and left soft kisses there, he stopped suddenly and pulled back. His claws withdrew from the back of her haori, revealing small holes where his claws had punctured the fabric, and she too removed her hand from inside his shirt.

He looked at her one last time with his burning golden gaze, before turning and walking away in the direction he came, just like last time. Kikyo watched him leave again, her chest suddenly feeling heavy and her aura flickered. Her hand came up and rested above her pounding chest as she breathed in and out deeply. Just what in the world... did they think they were both doing? And how long could it go on like this?

(\-\-/-/)

(\-/)

(\-\-/-/)

It was quite a while before Kikyo saw the mysterious Taiyoukai again. She had set up temporary residence in a small village to the east of Edo that was suffering from an illness that infected its children. She had been treating them in the special hut that had been created for them called the 'sick house' but the illness did not seen to improve or worsen. The children only possessed the symptoms of a simple cold, some cases a fever, but never anything serious or life threatening. So the question lingering on Kikyo's mind was: why did they not seem to recover?

She had taken a short visit to the river beside the village to collect a bail of water, when she felt him. The familiar demonic pulse of power that extended from beyond the trees and sent her own aura pulsing in anticipation. And then he came, clad in white with his beautiful fur boa flowing behind him, and his hungry golden gaze trained on her, drinking in her form.

He still wasn't sure how he had ended up in the same vicinity as her again, nor why he didn't just kill her and be rid of her, but somehow, his Youkai screamed for her alone and refused to be active unless he complied to its wishes. Infuriating beast. His eyes scanned her over, picking up on the fatigue shown on her face, especially in the dark spaces beneath her eyes, and scented illness lingering on her clothes that did not belong to her. The scent of illness lead back down from the river to a human village, suggesting that is was the weak human residents that had fallen victim to the illness. And the Miko, being the nosy yet overly caring person Sesshomaru had seen through her eyes, she had gone and intervened in a problem that was none of her business, and the toll was now becoming visible on her. Such a foolish woman she was.

"Sesshomaru," she bowed her head slightly in a polite greeting, "It is nice to see you again."

His eyes narrowed in amusement at her choice of words, indicating that she had missed his presence a little. "...Indeed..."

It would be a lie to say that he had not missed her, human Miko or not, and lying was something that Sesshomaru did not do, even if it was to himself. His aura sung when in the presence of hers, and curled itself around it, seeking refuge and contentment instead of fearing the risk of purification. Her earlier scent of clay and soil... had completely diminished from his nose, being replaced by the soft aroma of roses and a hint of cherry. And oddly enough, Sesshomaru even found pleasure in simply looking upon her, despite her irritating humanity. The way her silky dark locks fell beside her face and tickled her skin, the meek creamy look of her cheeks, and the light dancing in her cocoa eyes... she looked almost like a Goddess.

Sesshomaru mentally snorted at that thought. If his father could hear that, he would be turning over in his grave laughing at his son's hypocrisy. But that humiliating thought aside, the Prince of the West could not deny that he had become rather attracted to this weak, tended human Miko before him. A truly mad occurrence that no good could come from, a metaphor for his inevitable downfall, just like his father. How far would one go for the sake of a mere attraction to a human female? Was it really worth it? Though his mind may not have been in complete agreement, his Youkai growled in a positive manner and demanded that he feel her touch again.

Mere seconds after Kikyo had felt the queer change in Sesshomaru's aura, she felt a strong shift in the tranquillity of the area, and rose to her feet instantly. She pushed her aura out as far as it would allow, and scanned the area for the source of the foreboding energy. It was a demon, but not just any demon, it was a high class Youkai that specialized in generating sickness amongst children - The Night Watcher, she seemed to recall it being called. She reached for her bow and slung her quiver across her shoulder. If she could defeat this Youkai, the children of the village would be cured and she could finally be on her way. It didn't feel like a very strong Youkai, so purifying it should be no more than a simple task. She was so caught up in her grand scheming that she had quite forgotten that the InuTaiyoukai still stood several feet from her, watching her display of determination with an amused glint in his eyes.

Sesshomaru watched her eyes fill with determination and compassion for the sick humans she wanted to protect, and was pleased at the level she would go to protect what she held dear. Such a weak Youkai should be no difficult task for one with her Miko abilities, so there was no reason for him to involve himself. He would watch, position himself nearby and mask his aura, giving her the false belief that he had gone once more. He wanted to see just what she was capable of, without being in the cross-fire or a means of distraction.

The ground beneath Kikyo's feet shook, and the water at the deep part of the river began to spin in a majestic whirlpool, sucking air and other objects in. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and slid it into the smooth bow in her other hand, positioning it and in a battle stance. She failed to notice Sesshomaru walking away back into the forest, masking his aura as he did. A strange coldness flooded Kikyo's system at the loss of his Youki, and she just automatically assumed he had left again like he always did. Only what she didn't know, was that this time he would be coming back sooner than she thought.

The waters spun wildly, waves crashing at the banks of the river as stones were pulled into the raging whirlpool of death. Kikyo stood her ground, grip on her bow tightening her her calm demeanor remained in place. She would just finish the beast, the children would be cured, and it would all be over and done with in a flash. Then she would be free to wander the lands again, possibly crossing paths with Sesshomaru again if he didn't tire with her and just kill her. Her heart beat exhilarated at the thought of him, and her aura flared in excitement. She didn't really know anything about him other than that he was Inuyasha's elder half-brother, Lord of the West, and that he claimed to despise humans yet he allowed a young human girl to travel with him. And now, he was entertaining the company of a human Miko, Youkai's natural enemy, and showing no signs of disgust or remorse. She wondered just what went on in that head of his for such contradictions to occur. But now wasn't the time to dwell on such complicated issues, for a huge figure was beginning to rise from the swirling waters.

A giant ogre looking Youkai with scaled flesh and webbed hands slowly emerged from the river, its twin red eyes glowing as grey clouds appeared and covered the sun. It was a Water Oni, by the looks if it. A Youkai that Kikyo had never come across before. The lived in large rivers or lakes neighbouring human villages, and spread waves of illness out to plague the nearby lifeforms, emerging from the lake when the illness had taken its toll to feast upon its victims. But Kikyo was not about to allow innocent children to be devoured by this monster when she was around. Even if Sesshomaru had left out of disinterest, she would not allow the Oni to step foot out of the river.

She pulled the arrow back on the bow-string and studied her opponent for a possible weak spot. Usually, the neck and chest were the weakest parts of an Oni, but those parts of its body were covered by hard scales that looked to be quite impenetrable, unless her arrows were given the correct amount of charge. She pulled the string back, channelling her Miko power into the arrow and allowing it to fizz a bright white-pink colour, before she let it fly in the direction of the Oni's chest.

The arrow sailed through the air rapidly and reached the creature's chest with no reaction from the beast, only to shoot right through its body and zoom up into the grey clouds and generate a loud crash of thunder and lightning that soon vanished. Kikyo's eyes widened ever so slightly as the Youkai's body rippled like a giant structure consisting of _water_ entirely, before it fell apart and vanished into the body of water, camouflaging perfectly. Kikyo scowled and readied another arrow, scanning the now deathly still water for any signs of movement. A single ripple at the deepest part was enough of a hint, so she let the second arrow fly and it connected with the creature's left eye, blinding it in that eye. It let out a shrill screech as it materialized into a visible form and snarled at the impudent Miko that had injured it. It screeched again before charging towards her mindlessly, her bow pointing right in its face as her eyes filled with killing intent.

Sesshomaru watched the Miko's display of power and iron will from hidden behind a large tree with harsh orange coloured leaves. His eyes narrowed at her foolishness as he saw through the Oni's plan of making her believe it would attack head on with no trick up its sleeves. When at the correct range.. it would strike! And the Miko had fallen right into its trap! Damn woman, now he would be forced to interfere and would have to come up with a reasonable explanation for his actions. He stepped forward and drew the Bakusaiga, only to stop when he saw something flicker deep within her lethal eyes.

Just before the Oni raised its webbed hand and focused its energy, Kikyo jolted her bow up and shot the arrow skyward, completely missing the creature! Neither the Oni nor Sesshomaru understood the smirk that suddenly appeared on her face as her arrow flew up into the grey storm clouds.. until a loud boom of thunder clapped. The clouds flickered with yellow and blue, before a huge stalk of electricity shot down and struck the Oni right down the middle, frying it from inside out. It screeched in agony as the lightning tore its body apart, and fell face-down in the river, it's scales scorched and gradually turning to dust. Eventually, all that was left was a particularly large pile of black dust that was carried down the river out of sight.

Sesshomaru stood and watched as she stood on the bank of the river, her cream ribbon having fallen out during the battle, allowing her hair to slide down her shoulders like silk as she breathed in and out deeply. The clouds slowly parted, granting thin streams of sunlight permission to shine down upon the human Miko and give her the appearance as if she was glowing. Sesshomaru's eyes went visibly wide at her impossible beauty, and he just stared at her, slowly sliding his sword back into its sheath. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ear and let off a soft sigh before she turned to retreat to the human village to check on the sick.. away from him.

Filled with a sudden sense of desperation and longing, he zipped across the plains to her faster than the pillar of lightning from earlier, and threw his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. She gasped softly at the sudden reappearance of his aura and his action, and dropped her bow as he buried his nose into her hair. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at his face, closed eyes and furrowed brows as he held her to him tightly. Never had she seen him so lost.. so alone. Her aura hummed in response to the desperate call of his Youkai, and she leaned back into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes, allowing him to just stand and hold her.

Their auras hummed in harmony and curled around one another, feeling the warmth and power residing in each. The breeze blew through Sesshomaru's snowy mane so that it swirled along with the flying orange leaves that the wind had caught. His pelt shifted from side to side and ghosted Kikyo's feet lightly.

_"Be they Youkai or Human, each of us were created as one half of a whole, destined to find the other half to compete us. The light to our darkness, the happiness to our despair."_

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and breathed in the scent of roses and cherry, his Youkai practically purring in pleasure as he nuzzled Kikyo's temple delicately, relishing in the soft sounds that escaped her lips. She smiled and arched her neck to grant him better access to nuzzle her flesh further. The wind caught her hair too and it swirled around with Sesshomaru's long silver locks, creating weaves of black and white.

"It appears you do not loathe humans as much as you claim you do." she whispered.

He smirked against her neck at the observation and closed his eyes. "...Indeed." was his one word answer as he returned to rubbing his nose against her pale skin.

The breeze laughed as it soared past them and up high into the skies, carrying the trail of orange and red leaves it had gathered, twirling skyward in a graceful dance of the autumn season. Leaving an InuTaiyoukai and a human Miko down on the earth below as the two halves had finally found their other, and the red string of silk connecting their pinky fingers became visible...

(\-\-/-/)

(\-/)

(\-\-/-/)

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Corner<strong>

Thanks for reading! Leave some reviews! This pairing needs as much love as we can squeeze out!

~Happy


End file.
